The National Retail Association (NRA) has urged Queensland shoppers to be patient and to not blame retailers for any transition issues as the state-wide Container Refund Scheme kicks into effect.

Queenslanders will be able to claim a 10-cent refund when they return used beverage containers to any of the 230 collection points installed across the state.

NRA Manager of Industry Policy David Stout said that although a lot of planning had taken place, there could still be minor teething problems under the new scheme.

“Queenslander’s will receive a 10-cent refund when returning used containers to a designated collection point,” Mr Stout said.

“The State Government has done a lot of pre-planning – which included delaying the start date by four months – however experiences in other states and territories show that there can be some teething issues.

“The implementation of the NSW scheme was rushed and resulted in all sorts of problems, such as there not being sufficient collection points, and delays that caused cars to queue up that resulted in traffic hazards.

“Another issue in NSW was that consumers were being slugged a 15-cent increase when purchasing a beverage but were only entitled to a 10-cent refund. This is not the case under the QLD scheme which is cost-neutral for consumers.

Mr Stout also said that the scheme will provide both environmental and economic benefits to Queensland.

“The premise behind the initiative is to encourage recycling and reduce the amount of litter across Queensland,” Mr Stout said.

“As well as helping the environment, the scheme will provide economic benefits such as business and employment opportunities generated from the scheme.

The scheme applies to most drink containers between 150ml and 3L (with some exemptions) and you can find further information at the official website.

The National Retail Association is Australia’s largest and most representative retail industry association. It has been serving businesses in the retail and fast food sectors for close to 100 years.